Around the IT Industry 6/25-6/29

by Modis
on June 29, 2012

The Dangers of Open WiFi

Most people know the obvious dangers of leaving your wireless network unencrypted such as allowing outsiders to gain access to your family’s data and possibly damage your network or lock you out of it. What most people don’t consider, however, is that others may use their network as a gateway to the Internet from which to launch cyberattacks or make overt threats against others. When these attacks and threats are traced to their source by police, the home they may be led to could be your own.

Megaupload Raids Ruled Illegal

The case against Kim Dotcom, owner of the controversial Megaupload file-sharing website, has hit a major speed bump for the prosecution. A New Zealand High Court judge ruled that the raids of Dotcom’s home earlier this year were, in fact, illegal and that the export of cloned hard drives to the U.S. was also illegal. This judgment could render a large portion of the evidence being used against Dotcom invalid and may have considerable impact on the outcome of this landmark case.

Apple Goes Chrome

Google, makers of the popular Android operating system, have finally infiltrated the Apple marketplace by producing a version of the Google Chrome browser for Apple’s proprietary iOS operating system. This means that iPhone and iPad users alike can now enjoy Google’s award-winning browser, though Apple’s app regulations will not permit Chrome to replace or alter Apple’s built-in browser.

Comcast Pays $800K to FCC for Concealing Broadband Service

Major communications company Comcast is paying a penalty of $800,000 to the FCC for purposefully making their “Performance Starter” broadband standalone package difficult for consumers to purchase, instead pushing them to the bundled cable TV and broadband package at a significantly higher price. As part of the settlement, Comcast has been ordered by the FCC to make their standalone broadband service more visible and have also enforced a price cap for the service of no greater than $49.95 a month for the next three years.

Google Coming to America

Google’s new wireless home media player, the Nexus Q, features an inscription not often seen on modern electronics these days: “Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A.” Google is presently experimenting with American-based manufacturing and, with the rising costs of overseas labor and the overhead required to monitor such operations, the trend is expected to be echoed by many major American corporations.